Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, the managing director of NBET, was summoned for failing to appear before the House Committee on Finance to defend the agency's budget and power deals.
The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has summoned the Managing Director of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, over power agreements.
Mr Ewelukwa is to answer questions bordering on the $30 million per month Azura power deal and $10 million per month Arco Gas agreement.
The committee issued the summon following the failure of Mr Ewelukwa to appear before the committee at the ongoing 2023 budget defence.
Mr Ewelukwa was asked to appear before the Committee on Thursday.
Abba Aliu, the general manager, corporate services, who represented the NBET MD at the budget defence, informed the lawmakers that the MD was on annual leave. He said that the MD commenced the leave last week Friday.
The Chairman of the Committee, James Faleke (APC, Lagos), said the letter of invitation was delivered on Wednesday, and Mr Ewelukwa embarked on leave on Friday to avoid appearing before the committee.
"He saw our letter and decided to go on leave because of item five - the issue of Azura and Arco gas. He cannot plunge this country into this kind of debt and run away. He must come here and face us.
"In line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we hereby summon the managing director of NBET to appear before this committee on Thursday, unfailingly," he ruled.
Earlier, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Saidu Abdulahi (APC, Niger), said the MD ought to have suspended his leave to appear before the committee to defend the budget of its agency and answer questions on the power deals.
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"I don't think this excuse is tenable. Chairman, you would recall that we received the budget from Mr President on a Friday which is not our parliamentary day but to underscore the importance of this particular exercise, we all turned up in numbers to receive the budget from the president," he said.
"In this case, we wrote a letter to the commission and I am sure the MD did receive the letter before he proceeded to his leave.
"So if he attaches so much importance to what we are doing, he would have excluded himself for just one day to be here.
"More importantly, because of item number five on the letter, we must insist that the MD of NBET appears even if it is for a day. He must appear to defend the budget before we pass the budget," he said.
Also speaking, Taiwo Oluga (APC Osun) said the MD is notorious for avoiding appearing before committees.
"I think the MD is trying to avoid the parliament. This is not the first time. To be on record, that the MD would be avoiding this committee," she said.
"We should insist until the MD is available to address this committee and to address the country as a whole because there are sensitive issues that he needs to talk to us about. So avoiding the parliament will not help the issue," he said
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the same committee had in August queried the $30 million per month Pull Call Option Agreement (PCOA) reached with investors on the Azura power plant.
